ABA Terms – Flashcard

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
ABA Reversal
answer
A basic single-subject design in which baseline measurements (A) are contrasted with measurements during treatment (B) across conditions which alternate to determine causal effects.
question
adjunctive behavior
answer
Excessive (possibly arbitrary) behaviors that occur between trials or between reinforcers.
question
analytical pragmatism
answer
A set of principles and philosophies that reflect a commitment to practical, behavioral methods of assessment and analysis.
question
appetitive stimulus
answer
A positively reinforcing stimulus.
question
applied behavior analysis
answer
The use of basic behavior principles to analyze and solve practical problems.
question
aversion therapy
answer
A Pavlovian procedure in which stimuli that elicit inappropriate behaviors are paired with an aversive stimulus (shock, emetics, ammonia) to produce strong conditioned responses (nausea, fear, etc). Used to treat child molestation, alcohol abuse, etc.
question
aversive stimulus
answer
A noxious or unpleasant stimulus.
question
backward chaining
answer
A method used to train chained performances in which the last behavior in the chain is trained first; then each preceding behavior is gradually introduced.
question
baseline
answer
The base rate of behavior, before intervention, against which the efficacy of experimental manipulations is compared.
question
behavior analysis
answer
A comprehensive experimental approach to the study of behavior with the objective of investigating, identifying, describing,and using the general principles and laws which govern behavior.
question
behavior trapping
answer
Teaching of a new behavior that becomes trapped (or maintained) through natural contingencies of reinforcement.
question
behavioral medicine
answer
A behavior change program that targets health-related activities such as patient compliance, taking medicines, exercise regimens, etc..
question
behavioral repertoire
answer
The full set of behaviors that an organism does. Everything that an organism does, including both overt and covert actions, like thinking.
question
belongingness
answer
The idea that a subject's evolutionary history causes some responses and relationships to be more easily learned.
question
changing criterion
answer
A research design in which the rate of the target response is progressively changed (up or down). Used when the final level of the target response is radically different from baseline and likely to resist change (Example: smoking).
question
classical conditioning
answer
A procedure in which a neutral stimulus (NS) comes to elicit a conditioned response (CR) as a result of being paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
question
compound stimulus
answer
A stimulus that is composed of several components.
question
concurrent behavioral contingency
answer
More than one contingency of reinforcement is in effect at the same time.
question
conditioned emotional response
answer
Suppression of a positively reinforced operant response by the presentation of a stimulus that has previously been classically conditioned with an aversive stimulus.
question
conditioned reinforcer
answer
A stimulus that has acquired reinforcing properties through its association with other reinforcing stimuli.
question
constructional approach to behavior change
answer
A training system that focuses on skill-building to teach individual requisite skills needed for appropriate behaviors that can later be substituted for inappropriate behaviors.
question
context of behavior
answer
The biological and experiential history of the organism combined with the contextual stimuli that are present when conditioning occurs.
question
contingency trap
answer
Unwanted behavior by the subject occurs frequently because it is reinforced through negative attention while temporary relief from the unwanted behavior reinforces the experimenter's use of negative attention.
question
contingency-shaped behavior
answer
Operant behavior which is directly under the control of the contingencies, as opposed to rule-governed behavior.
question
continuous reinforcement
answer
A reinforcement schedule in which every response is reinforced.
question
correspondence training
answer
A training method which focuses on teaching subjects to have a high correlation between a verbal commitment (Say) and the actual behavior (Do).
question
dependent variable
answer
What is measured in an experiment - in behavior analysis, it is always the behavior of the subject.
question
deprivation
answer
The procedure of restricting or limiting access to a reinforcing event or stimulus.
question
differential reinforcement of high rates
answer
A particular reinforcement schedule in which reinforcement is delivered for rates of responding above a specified criterion.
question
differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors
answer
A particular reinforcement schedule in which reinforcement is delivered for behaviors which are incompatible with the target response.
question
differential reinforcement of low rates
answer
A particular reinforcement schedule in which reinforcement is delivered for rates of responding below a specified criterion.
question
differential reinforcement of other behaviors
answer
A particular reinforcement schedule in which reinforcement is delivered for behaviors other than the target response.
question
discrete trials procedure
answer
Isolating and teaching a specific task to an individual by repeatedly presenting the task to the individual across various trials. Responses are recorded for each trial and each successful response is usually reinforced.
question
discrimination
answer
A form of stimulus control in which the subject responds differentially to stimuli that share share too few relevant features.
question
displacement behavior
answer
Behavior which is irrelevant, incongruous or out of context which arises when consummatory behaviors are interrupted or prevented.
question
echolalia
answer
A symptom of autism in which the child ONLY repeats spoken language (echoic in nature) and fails to exhibit normal verbal behaviors.
question
errorless discrimination training
answer
A discrimination procedure in which the initial training involves only a brief, low intensity presentation of S-. Gradually, the intensity and duration of the S- is increased. Subjects rarely (if ever) respond to S-.
question
establishing operation
answer
Any change in the environment which alters the effectiveness of a stimulus to serve as a reinforcer and increases the probability of responses that have previously produced that stimulus - (i.e. food deprivation).
question
experimental analysis of behavior
answer
A single-subject method of investigation in which complex environment-behavior relations are systematically broken down into simpler component relations which reveal basic principles and controlling variables.
question
extinction
answer
The reduction in frequency of an operant response which was previously rewarded that results when the response is no longer followed by the reinforcer.
question
extinction burst
answer
A rapid burst of target responses that occur which extinction is first applied.
question
extrinsic reinforcers
answer
Reinforcers that are arranged artificially by the experimenter, teacher or parent, and which would not naturally occur.
question
fading
answer
A procedure in which a stimulus is gradually increased or decreased in intensity. Can be used to transfer control from one stimulus to another.
question
fear hierarchy
answer
The graduate set of feared objects, activities, or events that are constructed by a client and therapist to treat phobic responses using systematic desensitization.
question
flooding
answer
The presentation of feared objects, activites or events, often at full strength, in a manner that prevents escape or avoidance. Often an alternative to systematic desensitization.
question
fluency training
answer
The use of a changing criterion design to gradually increase the speed and accuracy of behavior (i.e. math fluency, foreign language fluency, etc.).
question
forward chaining
answer
A method used to train chained performances in which the first behavior in the chain is trained first; then each subsequent behavior is gradually introduced.
question
functional behavior analysis
answer
An thorough analysis of pretreatment behavior in terms of the antecedents and consequence associated with target behaviors. Is used to identify the function or purpose of the target behavior.
question
generalized reinforcer
answer
A specialized form of conditioned reinforcer which is backed up by a variety of primary reinforcers (i.e. money).
question
habit reversal
answer
A procedure in which the subject is required to engage in an incompatible response in order to eliminate unwanted behaviors. Used to reduce nervous muscle responses and tics.
question
habituation
answer
A decrease in responsiveness that comes as a result of repeated stimulation.
question
hypothetical constructs
answer
Nonobservable postulated events that are presumed to explain behavior but which become problematic because they are not directly observed, and are inferred from the behavior which they are purported to cause.
question
in vitro desensitization
answer
The use of imaginal activities as part of the fear heirarchy in the treatment of phobias.
question
in vivo desensitization
answer
Treatment for phobias which involve actually engaging in the feared responses or activities.
question
independent variable
answer
What is manipulated by the experimenter. In behavior analysis, the IV is typically the arrangement of events which precede or follow a response (establishing operations, stimulus control, and/or consequences).
question
intermittent reinforcement
answer
A reinforcement schedule in which responding is reinforced only some of the time.
question
interresponse time
answer
Interval between successive responses.
question
intertrial interval
answer
The time that elapses between two successive trials in an experiment.
question
intrinsic reinforcers
answer
Reinforcers that are the natural outcome of the target behavior. (i.e. social rewards of engaging in verbal behavior with others)
question
Keller's personalized system of instruction
answer
A college teaching method based on principles of operant conditioning in which courses are arranged such that students move through the material at their own speed and are reinforced for completing small course units.
question
law of effect
answer
A fundamental prinple of behavior that states that the effects of our actions determine whether we will repeat them.
question
learned helplessness effect
answer
Interference with the learning of a new instrumental response as a result of inescapable and unavoidable aversive stimulation.
question
learning
answer
An relatively enduring change in behavior that results from an interaction with the environment.
question
learning curve
answer
Graph showing how behavior changes during the course of an experiment.
question
mainstreaming
answer
Placement of developmentally disabled, learning disabled, and language-delayed students in regular classes.
question
mammaCare
answer
A behavioral program to teach women effective breast self-examination techniques.
question
multiple baseline across behaviors
answer
A research design in which the same reinforcement procedure is applied progressively to several operants. Subject, setting and consequences remain the same while different responses are modified sequentially. Demonstrates reinforcer efficacy.
question
multiple baseline across stimulus conditions
answer
A research design in which a reinforcement procedure is applied in one setting but withheld in other settings. Once behavior changes in the first setting, the procedure is then applied to the same response in another setting. Trains generalization.
question
multiple baseline across subjects
answer
A research design in which a reinforcement procedure is progressively introduced across different individuals who exhibit similar target behaviors. Demonstrates generality of treatment & external validity.
question
negative reinforcement
answer
A principle of behavior in which behavior increases as a result of the termination an aversive event or stimulus.
question
negatively accelerating
answer
A learning curve in which performance is increasing at a slower and slower rate.
question
negatively decelerating
answer
A learning curve in which performance is decreasing at a slower and slower rate.
question
observer drift
answer
gradual increases or decreases in an observer's likelihood to identify a given behavior; reduces DV accuracy.
question
operant conditioning
answer
A conditioning process in which an antecedent stimulus comes to occasion a target response as a result of pairing with a particular outcome or consequence.
question
overcorrection
answer
Subjects are repeatedly required to engage in appropriate, correcting and incompatible behaviors.
question
partial-reinforcement extinction effect
answer
A term used to describe greater persistence in instrumental responding during extinction
question
passive avoidance
answer
Refraining from action which minimizes contact with the aversive stimulus.
question
performance contract
answer
A written rule or statement describing the target behavior, the occasions when the target response should (should not) occur and the outcome for that behavior.
question
pivotal response training
answer
Teaching behaviors that are central to wide areas of functioning and whose mastery leads to improvements in a larger number of behaviors (e.g. language, fine motor skills, naming, following directions, etc..)
question
positive reinforcement
answer
A principle of behavior in which behavior increases as a result of the presentation of an appetitive stimulus.
question
positively accelerating
answer
A learning curve in which performance is increasing at a faster and faster rate.
question
positively decelerating
answer
A learning curve in which performance is decreasing at a faster and faster rate.
question
Premack principle
answer
According to this principle, you can increase the strength or likelihood of a target response if you make the opportunity to perform a more preferred response contingent upon performance of the target response.
question
private behavior
answer
Behavior which is only accessible to the individual who emits it (i.e. thinking)
question
prompting
answer
The explicit training of a supplemental stimulus (SD) that increases the probability of a response. Used to establish stimulus control. Usually it is faded out replaced by naturally occurring SDs.
question
reinforcer
answer
A stimulus (or event) whose availability shortly following the target response increases the future likelihood of that response.
question
response blocking
answer
Physically intervening to prevent the completion of the response as soon as the person begins to emit the problem behavior.
question
response chain
answer
A consecutively ordered series of responses in which each response produces a cue for the next response in the sequence.
question
response class
answer
A class of related behaviors that functionally produce the same consequences. (e.g. "please open the door" and opening the door both produce an open door).
question
response cost
answer
A principle of behavior in which behavior decreases as a result of the removal of an actual appetitive stimulus (e.g. parking or traffic fines).
question
response latency
answer
The time elapsed between the presentation of a stimulus and the subject's response. This is often used as a dependent variable.
question
response-reinforcer contingency
answer
A relationship in which a consequence (reinforcer) is delivered if and only if the target response occurs.
question
rule-governed behavior
answer
Instructed behavior or behavior which conforms to a previous learned (verbal) rule.
question
S∆
answer
A discriminative stimulus that suppresses instrumental responding because it signals that reinforcement is not available.
question
satiation
answer
Repeated presentation of a stimulus can reduce its efficacy as a reinforcer - can be used as a treatment strategy.
question
schedule thinning
answer
Gradually increasing the requirements to earn a reinforcer: increases the response requirement in terms of number of responses or delays to reinforcement.
question
SD
answer
A discriminative stimulus that evokes instrumental behavior because it signals the availability of reinforcement for a target response.
question
self -injurious behavior
answer
Abnormal behaviors that are harmful to oneself, such as head- banging or scratching or biting oneself.
question
self-control
answer
Foregoing an immediate, small reward for a larger, more delayed reward.
question
self-stimulation
answer
Abnormal, repetative behaviors that interfere with the individual's ability to pay attention or participate in meaningful activity, spinning objects.
question
shaping
answer
Reinforcing successive approximations to the required (target) response.
question
social skills training
answer
A technique used to teach skills that allow the child to be successful at interacting and developing social relationships with peers, family, and other adults.
question
social validity
answer
The goals, procedures and results of an intervention are acceptable to the client, the behavior analyst and to society.
question
stimulus control
answer
The ability of a particular stimulus to elicit or occasion a target response.
question
stimulus generalization
answer
The occurrence of a behavior, learned in the presence of one stimulus, that is emitted in response to other stimilar (novel) stimuli.
question
superstitious behavior
answer
Behavior which increases in frequency as a result of accidental (coincidental) pairing of an appetitive stimulus and the occurrence of a particular behavior.
question
task analysis
answer
The process of breaking a skill down into smaller steps to be taught individually.
question
time-out
answer
Removal of the opportunity to earn or obtain positive reinforcement.
question
token economy
answer
A reinforcement system in which tokens are delivered contingent upon specified target behaviors. Tokens can be exchanged for goods, services, privileges and/or other backup reinforcers. Effective in classrooms, nursing homes, in-patient facilities, etc..
question
vicarious conditioning
answer
Change in the performance of one learner based on observation of the consequences of another learner's behavior.
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New